1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to vehicle seats and, more specifically, to an assembly for adjusting a lumbar region of a seat.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional seats known in the art include a base and a back configured to accommodate, support, and secure an occupant of a vehicle. The base is operatively attached to the vehicle, such as to a passenger compartment floorboard, and may be adapted to selectively move along the floorboard so as to effect selective legroom adjustment to accommodate differently-sized occupants. The back is pivotally attached to the base such that the occupant can selectively adjust the angular position of the back with respect to the base.
In addition to legroom adjustment and back/base angular position adjustment, seats known in the related art employ various mechanisms to facilitate adjustable support to the occupant at specific seat locations corresponding to anatomical regions of the body. By way of non-limiting example, the seat may include one or mechanisms to facilitate adjustment of lumbar support against the occupant's back, and/or bolster support against the occupant's hips, waist, or shoulders. Such selective adjustment is particularly advantageous when the occupant has been seated for an extended period of time.
There are a number of different types of mechanisms known in the related art for providing selectively adjustable support within a seat, including both manually-adjusted and power-adjusted mechanisms.
While seats and adjustment mechanisms known in the prior art have generally performed well for their intended purpose, there remains a need in the art for an adjustment mechanism assembly which strikes a substantial balance between packaging size, component cost, manufacturability, functionality, usability, and ergonomics.